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Trenton, NJ - A bill supported by the Recreational Fishing Alliance that protects wild Sargassum from commercial exploitation cleared its first hurdle recently when it was favorably released from the New Jersey Assembly Committee for Agriculture and Natural resources. Assemblyman Robert Smith, (D- Gloucester), Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, is the sponsor of the legislation.
Sargassum has been deemed essential fish habitat by the National Marine Fisheries Service and is utilized by over 140 specie of marine invertebrates and vertebrates as food, shelter, or spawning areas. Many of these specie, such as sea turtles, are considered to be endangered. Many specie of fish, such as tunas or marlin are listed as overfished.
Assemblyman Smith stated, “ Without protection, Sargassum will be harvested to drastically low levels and the marine life it supports will be a thing of the past.”
“Sargassum is the cradle of life for the Atlantic Basin. Protecting Sargassum in areas where it is not already being done is an East Coast-wide initiative for the RFA. This bill takes a proactive stance on behalf of our marine environment and we applaud Mr. Smith for sponsoring and guiding this legislation.” said James Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance.
Gene Doebley, Chairman of the RFA-NJ Legislative Committee concluded, “Considering the importance of Sargassum to marine life and thus the recreational and commercial fishing industries, protecting wild Sargassum now demonstrates to those considering gathering it for profit that there are some things in this world that are really just better left alone.”
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